Fire Emblem Awakening: Wings of Destiny
by EnDingo
Summary: When a new character finds himself in Ylisse he joins the shepherds on their various adventures. Retelling of the fire emblem awakening story with an OC.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**(DISCLAIMER: I do not own any or the characters or locations created by Nintendo)**

**Welcome to the first story I've ever written! This story will follow the storyline of Awakening pretty closely focusing on the perspective of my original character Tristan. Hopefully it's at least slightly enjoyable for you readers. I appreciate any form of comment or criticism I receive so review away! Also feel free to send me PM's if you prefer. Now without further ado onto the story!**

Fire Emblem Awakening: Wings of Destiny

The sounds of battle rang through the normally peaceful forest. Large balls of flame fell towards the earth, illuminating the night sky. Tremors shook the ground below. Despite all this a lone figure slept on, propped up against a tree. His head of messy, short brown hair slouched awkwardly against his neck. Resting beside him was a strange looking weapon. It consisted of a wooden pole reinforced with some kind of metal. On either end was a wicked looking blade, perfect for both slashing and stabbing. As the sounds of battle drew closer the man began to stir. He slowly opened his green eyes and scanned the area around him. Seeing he wasn't in immediate danger he got up and stretched out his shoulder.

"Man, where am I? And how did I end up here?" he said to no one in particular.

He tried to think back to the events that led him to this situation but found that his memories were foggy. He could remember a few key details about himself. He recalled that his name was Tristan, that he was 20 years old and a few other things about his personality and preferences. Mildly useful information in itself, however, he couldn't recall anything that could explain his current situation. Finally he tuned into the sounds of a conflict a little ways of. He stooped down to pick up the weapon he assumed was his and gave it a few practise swings. It felt oddly comfortable in his hands. Nodding in satisfaction he rushed off in the direction of the noise to see what was going on.

When Tristan reached the source of the disturbance he found himself standing before a clearing. In the clearing two forces were engaged in a lopsided battle. A small group of four people were desperately trying to fend off a horde of terrifying purple skinned humanoids. A well-built blue haired man and brown haired man with heavy blue armour atop a powerful looking warhorse stood at the front of the horde, tearing through any enemy that got close. Behind them a delicate looking blonde haired girl with a glowing staff and a white haired man in a heavy looking coat stood casting spells. Tristan watched the scene for a moment trying to decide if he should assist the small group. Making up his mind he quickly sprinted towards the battle. However before he could make it two newcomers entered the fray. A woman in bright red armour with even brighter red hair rode in atop a horse swinging a lance and shouting threats and curses at the enemy. Close behind her was a strangely dressed man with shoulder length blue hair firing arrows off with astounding accuracy. Tristan joined up with the group and brought his weapon to bear. With the arrival of the reinforcements the tide of battle quickly changed. The monsters began to fall before them. Tristan found that fighting came easily to him, though he couldn't recall ever being in a fight before. He side stepped a swipe from a sword wielding enemy and thrust forward, impaling it through the chest. As he retracted his weapon he was shocked to see the monster dissolve into purple dust. However he didn't have time to dwell on this as another enemy took its place. Soon the group of fighters had vanquished the monsters and stood in the middle of the clearing trying to catch their breath. Now that his life wasn't in danger Tristan felt a little out of place.

_Oh man, I've never been good at meeting new people; this is starting to stress me out. _Tristan looked around at the people standing around them. They all seemed to be recovered from the battle and were starting to look around at each other. The man with blue hair stepped towards the red haired woman smiling.

"Excellent timing Sully, I hate to think of what might have happened if you and your new friends hadn't shown up." He looked towards the archer standing behind Sully, and then at Tristan.

"Well hopefully that will teach you to go on missions without me captain." She laughed and then paused for a moment. "Though I don't know what you mean by friends. I only brought ruffles here with me, and that's just because he hasn't stopped following me around since he showed up at the barracks the other day." she said motioning towards the archer. "I assumed this guy was with you."

The blue haired man and Sully exchanged confused looks, and then everyone looked at Tristan.

_Oh no, they're all looking at me. Just be cool and introduce yourself._

Tristan took a small step forward and looked up at the various members of the group. "Err, hi there. My name's Tristan. I was travelling through this forest when I heard the sounds of your battle. I thought I'd lend a hand."

The man in blue armour stepped down from his horse and approached Tristan. "You fight quite well for a simple traveller." He said eyeing Tristan suspiciously.

"Easy Frederick, he has done nothing to earn our suspicion." The blue haired man said.

"But milord, how can we know he's not an enemy spy or assassin. I don't think we should trust him. We've already allowed one stranger into our midst." Frederick replied, still sizing Tristan up.

"Anyone willing to put their life in danger is trustworthy enough for me. Say stranger, if you're travelling towards the capitol you are welcome to travel with us."

Tristan was taken aback by this out of the blue offer, but seeing as how he didn't know where he was or where he was going he figured it couldn't hurt to travel with this group. "Well I don't have a specific destination in mind, but I would gladly travel with you."

"Well then I guess it's decided then. I suppose if we're travelling together introductions are in order. My name is Chrom. And we're the shepherds."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone that left a review. I found all of the suggestions helpful and will try my best to implement them in my writing. As for a release schedule I hope to get at least one chapter out a week. Obviously I'm not off to a great start with that goal but oh well, I'm lazy in the summer. Anyway please enjoy and let me know what you think!**

The next morning the shepherds marched towards Ylisstol, the capital of Ylisse. Tristan was walking with Chrom and Robin, the white haired mage. He had been chatting with the two men so that he could learn more about the situation he was in. It turned out Robin had total amnesia, and found himself in a situation similar to Tristan's. He had been found asleep in a field by Chrom and the others the day before. As they continued to walk Tristan dropped back a bit and looked around at the group.

_They seem like an odd bunch._ He looked over and saw Frederick glaring intensely at him. _He's clearly not my biggest fan._ Sully was busy ignoring Virion as he spouted some sort of romantic nonsense. _I feel like we're missing someone…_

"Hiya! I'm Lissa! You're Tristan right? Chrom said you amnesia like Robin, is that true?"

Tristan stared blankly at the slight, blonde haired girl for a moment before registering everything she said. "Um… Yes I'm Tristan, and I do have amnesia. You're Chrom's sister correct?"

"That's right!"

"So why are you travelling with this group?"

Lissa gave him a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

"Well, everyone here appears to be a soldier of some sort, and you… well you don't." Tristan started to trail off. Lissa stopped walking glared at Tristan.

"Oh you don't think I'm cut out for this do you? You think I'm too delicate for this kind of work don't you!" At this point everyone had stopped marching and turned to watch them with amused looks on their face. Even Frederick had cracked a smile.

_Oh no, I'm in trouble._ "No that's not what I meant… It's just that." _I don't know if there's any way I can save this._ "Ya know what? Let's just pretend I didn't say anything and start over… Hi my names Tristan… hehe." Tristan chuckled nervously. Lissa was glaring up at him with her hands on her hips. Tristan had the urge to pat Lissa on the head, and before he could stop himself he went through with the impulse and patted the top of her head gently.

_That probably wasn't my greatest move…_ He looked at Lissa, whose face was turning an unnatural shade of red. _She's going to kill me now isn't she?_

Lissa was trembling slightly in anger, after a few more tense moments she stomped her foot, spun on her heel and stomped away, moving ahead of the group. Tristan looked at the other members of the group. Virion and Sully were staring at him slack jawed. Robin looked a little confused and Frederick looked like he wanted to punch Tristan in the face. Suddenly Chrom burst into a loud and raucous laughter. He walked over to Tristan and still laughing threw an arm over his shoulder.

"I've never seen anyone other than me get her that worked up before, that was fantastic." He chuckled, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Well I'm glad you enjoyed it, because she probably hates me forever now." Tristan sighed looking down at his feet.

"Oh don't worry, she gets over things quickly. But watch your back, she's an infamous prankster." Tristan shot Chrom a nervous look, causing him to chuckle again. "Oh don't worry, you'll be fine. Let's keep moving, we've nearly reached the capitol." And with that the group began marching once again.

"There are so many people here… I don't like it." Tristan complained to Robin. They had reached the capitol, and after Sully and Virion left for the Shepherds barracks they began to make their way through the busy streets of Ylisstol. Tristan and Robin were blindly following the others through crowds of people buying and selling various items and going through their various daily rituals.

"I don't know, I'm kind of enjoying it. It's exciting! I've never been around this many people." Robin responded, gazing around in wonder at the commotion he found himself in.

"How would you know what you've never experienced, you don't have any memories." Tristan stated dryly.

Robin frowned and looked down at his feet. "You don't either, no need to be mean about it."

"Yea sorry about that man, it was definitely uncalled for." He paused for a moment and then sighed again. "Though I'm pretty sure I never liked crowds."

"I don't understand how you can't enjoy this though, there's never a dull moment when you're around this many people." Robin reiterated, once again taking in the scene around them.

"Well for one thing, pickpockets have an easier time doing their thing in crowds."

Robin shot Tristan a confused look.

"While you were busy enjoying the excitement some ginger pick pocket swiped your wallet." Tristan grinned.

Robin began frantically patting various pockets in his massive coat. "What!? Why didn't you say something, or stop him!? We have to go find him." Robin began marching into a random section of the crowd scanning for the thief.

"Robin wait! The others are leaving us behind. And we don't even know where we're going. Besides, that guys probably long gone by now, just forget about it."

Tristan picked up his pace to catch up with Chrom and the others. Robin sighed and slunk after Tristan sadly.

"I didn't even know I had a wallet…"

"Hey Chrom? Where are we going anyway?" Robin inquired. The group had been walking through the city for a few hours now. "My legs are tired and I'm no longer enjoying these crowds."

"I told you they suck." Tristan huffed.

"Both of you stop whining; we're almost to the palace." Chrom said sternly. "We need to report our encounter with those monsters to the counsel." Tristan and Robin glanced at each other and decided to stay quiet. As the group continued to walk they saw a large gathering of people lining the street ahead of them.

"What's going on over there?" Robin asked, trying to peer over top of the crowd.

"It appears the Exalt has decided to grace the people with her presence." Frederick said from atop his warhorse.

"The Exalt is the ruler of your country, right?"

"That's correct; Exalt Emmeryn is a symbol of peace and the joy of the nation." At that moment the crowd parted and Robin and Tristan got their first look at the Exalt. Both men we're stopped at the sight. The Exalt was a tall and beautiful woman with blonde hair cascading down the front of her shoulders.

_She kind of looks familiar for some reason. I think it's the hair._

"Wow, I wouldn't mind making her the joy of my nation, if you know what I mean." Robin whispered to Tristan with a sly look on his face.

Both men chuckled a little. And Tristan elbowed Robin gently "I don't think that makes sense man. Also you probably shouldn't be saying that about a country's ruler" Tristan whispered back. At that moment the men realized Frederick was staring at them.

"Er, she sounds like an amazing person." Robin sputtered.

Frederick grinned a little and looked away. "That she is." He said.

"She's also the best big sister you could ask for!" Lissa chimed in.

"Haha yea I bet she is… wait." Robin trailed off.

Suddenly Tristan realized why the Exalt looked familiar. He glanced over at Lissa who was grinning childishly as she watched the two men come to the realization.

_I should've seen it earlier, they look so similar._

"So that makes you…" Robin trailed off again

"The prince and princess of Ylisse." Frederick said proudly.

Tristan and Robin shot each other worried glances and quickly dropped to their knees.

"I apologize for any disrespect I've shown prince Chrom." Robin humbly stated.

"I apologize too lord Chrom, forgive my poor manners." Tristan glanced up and saw Chrom smirking down at him and Robin.

"Please gentleman, stop with the formalities. I get more than enough from Frederick. Besides, you two are my friends first and foremost." Frederick's momentarily took on an irked expression at the remark, but quickly returned to his usual stern expression.

"Uh thanks Chrom." Robin said with Tristan nodding beside him.

"Anyways, how would you two like to meet the Exalt?"

Tristan and Robin both grinned and the group resumed their trek towards the palace.

Tristan gazed around in wonder as the group was led through the halls of the palace. After entering through the large gate at the front they had been led up a pearly white staircase and into the building itself. The halls they walked through were all lavishly decorated with beautiful paintings and regal suits of armour.

_This is a little overwhelming. I can't remember much of anything and here I am in a giant palace with the prince and princess of this country about to meet its leader. I feel like I'm making big steps in the new memory department._

Soon they were brought into a comfortably furnished room. "The Exalt will be with you shortly." Said the lightly armoured woman with short, light blue hair. "Please make yourselves comfortable." She said to Robin and Tristan. Lissa and Chrom flopped down onto a couch and Frederick took up a position near the door they entered. Tristan and Robin sat down nervously on the couch across from the royal siblings.

_I'm not really sure how to act around royalty, this is stressful._ Tristan glanced over at Robin, who was grinning and glancing around the room. _He looks so calm; maybe I'll just let him do all the talking._

Suddenly a door was opened and the Exalt strode gracefully into the room.

"Emm!" Lissa shouted and jumped up, embracing her older sister who smiled down at her.

"Welcome back, I'm glad to see you made it back safely. How did your mission go?"

"Well, we shouldn't have any bandit problems for a while. Though we need to be more careful with our border patrols, the bandits crossed over from Plegia. But we did have some trouble against a strange new foe." Chrom reported.

The blue haired woman from earlier stepped forward and spoke. "I apologize my prince. My Pegasus knights should have intercepted them. However this new foe you speak of. Were they perhaps strange purple skinned beings?"

Chrom nodded. "That's correct Phila, have you heard of them?"

"Reports of them have been coming in from around the kingdom." Phila stated.

"Yea they were really strong!" Lissa chimed in happily. "It's a good thing we had such great help!"

Lissa gestured towards Robin and Tristan, who bowed respectfully and looked up at the Exalt.

"Ah yes, you speak of your new companions. Please introduce us." Emmeryn said smiling.

Chrom smiled and patted Robins shoulder. "This is Robin, we met him in a field and he helped greatly against the bandits. I've decided to make him the Shepherds new tactician." He then gestured towards Tristan. "And this is Tristan, he saw us fighting the purple beasts and risked his life to assist us. I would also like to recruit him to the Shepherds"

_This is the first I've heard of this. Although it might not be a bad idea._

"Well met, both of you. You have my gratitude for helping keep my family safe."

"Excuse me your grace, but I feel we shouldn't blindly trust these two men. They both claim to suffer from amnesia. It seems like too great a coincidence to me. They could be plotting against us." Frederick stated. Robin and Tristan both shot nervous looks towards him.

"You do have a point Frederick. Chrom, do you trust these men?"

"I do sister; they risked their lives for us and our people."

"Frederick, I thank you for your vigilant efforts to protect our family. However these men have Chrom's trust. And so they have mine." Emmeryn stated.

"Thank you, Your Grace." Robin said. Tristan just breathed a sigh of relief and smiled sheepishly at the Exalt.

"Now Chrom, I have assembled the counsel to discuss this new threat. I would like you to join us."

Chrom's countenance drooped and Lissa giggled. "Yes sister, if I must."

At that Chrom followed Emmeryn out of the room, looking back towards the others and shooting them a desperate glance causing Lissa to laugh. Phila and Frederick then left the room behind the Exalt and Prince. Robin and Tristan looked around the room, and then at each other unsure of what they were supposed to do.

"Well," Lissa said, breaking the silence. "I guess since you've both officially been inducted into the Shepherds we should probably go introduce you to everyone!" Lissa excitedly grabbed Robin's wrist and dragged him out of the room. Tristan sighed and hurried after them.

_Great, I have to meet even more strangers now. This day just keeps getting more and more stressful. _


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Hey everyone, I sincerely apologize for the long wait. Between a few personal crisis, technical difficulty and just general struggles with the writing I almost gave up on this. But fear not, I have renewed resolve and the coming weeks look like they will provide me with a surplus of free time. So my posting schedule should become a bit better… Hopefully. Anyway this chapter is shorter than I originally planned just because I wanted to get something out just to let everyone know I still exist. But I still feel like I accomplished everything I wanted to with it. As usual if you see anything wrong with my writing let me know! And so I know present the third chapter.**

"And here we are!"

Lissa and the two men were standing in front a large, plain looking 2 story building constructed mostly of wood. On one side was a stable and on the other a small yard that looked like it was used for training. Lissa skipped joyfully up the steps to the door and looked back.

"Well, are you guys coming or not?" Lissa asked impatiently

Tristan looked over at Robin. "Why don't you lead, I'm not so good at meeting people." Tristan looked down sheepishly.

Robin rolled his eyes and followed up the stairs behind Lissa. Tristan paused for a moment to steel his nerves. _Alright Tristan, you can do this. There just human beings. Be polite and likeable and you'll be fine. And don't embarrass yourself. _Tristan's self-pep talk was interrupted by Robin's voice.

"Tristan hurry up, you'll be fine."

With one last shake of his head Tristan bounded up the stairs after the other two.

Lissa threw open the doors and led the men into the building. They entered into a fairly large room, furnished with wooden tables and chairs. Tristan looked around and noticed Virion sitting at a table in the corner sipping tea. When he noticed the group enter he gave a casual wave and went back to his tea. Sully sat at the same table arm wrestling with a man whose back faced the door. At another table sat two women chatting and sipping tea.

"Hi everyone! We're back"

Immediately a pretty blonde girl dressed in fancy pink clothing leapt up from the table she was sitting at, dropping a frilly parasol in the process. "Lissa my treasure, you've had me worried sick waiting for your safe return."

"Oh hey Maribelle! How are you?" Lissa grinned, oblivious to the concern on Maribelle's face.

"Don't how are you me young lady. I have been waiting pins and needles awaiting your arrival. The stress has caused gray hairs to sprout up on my head." Maribelle finished with an overdramatic sigh and fanned herself with her hand.

Lissa just giggled. "Oh Maribelle, you worry too much. I can take care of myself you know, plus I had Chrom there to protect me!" Maribelle huffed and returned to her seat.

_Well she's… eccentric. Doesn't really seem like the soldier type either. More like some high up aristocrat's daughter or something._ Tristan glanced over at Robin who had watched the entire exchange with wry grin on his face.

At that moment a tanned, extremely muscular man entered the room. He had scars covering his bare chest and arms. His dull blonde hair spiked backwards on his head and he had a cocky grin on his face.

"Heya there squirt, how was the trip? Bet you guys had a rough time without old teach watchin' your back."

Lissa giggled "So it's teach now is it Vaike? And who calls you that?"

Vaike's bravado faltered for a moment as he thought. However he quickly recovered. "Lots of people! Just no one you would know. But now you can start too!" Vaike flashed a cocky grin and she rolled her eyes. At that moment Vaike noticed the two men standing slightly behind Lissa.

"So, who are the strangers?"

Tristan frowned slightly. _I don't think we're nearly as strange as he is. And why isn't he wearing a shirt?_

"Oh right! Allow me to introduce our two newest Shepherds. This is Robin." As she said this Robin adjusted his coat quickly and stepped forward. "He's really smart and Chrom has decided to make him our new tactician. He's also great with a sword and knows magic!" Lissa smiled proudly.

"Oh yea? Well can he do this?" Vaike then took a large breath, thumped his chest and let out a tremendous belch. Robin chuckled a little and waved his hand in front his face.

"Well you clearly have the advantage over me in the art of belching, congratulations my good sir." Robin said with a grin. Maribelle glared at the men from the table she was sitting at.

"Vaike, must you constantly pollute the air with your childish buffoonery? And you." She said looking at Robin. "I had hoped you would be a more civilized addition to our group. But clearly you're no better than the common rabble." She sighed and went back to drinking her tea

Lissa gave Robin a sympathetic look. "Don't worry about her Robin, she warms to people slowly." Robin just shrugged and looked back at Tristan.

"Hey Lissa, aren't you forgetting someone?"

_Dang it Robin, I was hoping they would forget about me. _

"Oh yea! This is Tristan."

Vaike strode confidently towards Tristan and sized him up.

"He doesn't look like much, what does he do?"

"Oh, um… He helped us fight and stuff, I guess."

_Thanks for that ringing endorsement… _

"Well that's good enough for me!" Vaike extended his hand towards and Tristan shook it. "We should spar sometime."

"Uh, sure why not?"

Vaike grinned and nodded. He then walked past Tristan and out the front door.

A timid voice piped up from beside Maribelle. "Um, excuse me Lissa? Will the captain be stopping by today?"

"Sumia here has been beside herself with worry. She hasn't been able to focus at all during training. It's earned her a few extra bruises." Maribelle smirked.

"No it's not like that!" Sumia claimed, her face reddening quickly. "It's just that he's our leader and the prince so of course I'd worry." She said hurriedly.

"Aww that's cute of you to worry Sumia. But I don't think he will be stopping by tonight. He has to attend some counsel meetings so that will probably tie him up for the rest of the day."

Sumia looked slightly disappointed at the news but perked up quickly and resumed conversation with Maribelle.

Tristan walked over to Robin and sighed.

"Well that went well." Robin said happily.

"Yea I guess so, but now I'm exhausted. Stress is tiring."

Robin chuckled. "Fair point, it's getting late anyway. Hey Lissa, where will we be staying?"

"Oh right! I'll show you guys to your rooms." She then led the two men out of the main room and up some simple wooden stairs. The stairs led to a dim hallway with multiple doors on either side. Lissa led them about halfway down the hall and looked at the men.

"You guys can have these two rooms. You're free to do whatever tonight but you might want to get to sleep early. Chrom will probably have a mission for us tomorrow so we will most likely be getting up early. Have a good night guys!" And with that she turned around and walked back towards the stairs.

"Well, I guess we're shepherds now." Robin said

"Yea… I guess we are. What a crazy couple of days."

"You remember anything yet?"

Tristan paused for a moment and looked up in thought. "No not yet. I feel like there's something just floating on the edges of my mind. But I haven't managed to recall anything. How about you?"

Robin smiled sadly. "No, my minds completely blank."

"Ah well, why don't we sleep on it? Maybe sleep will clear something up." Tristan stepped towards his room and put his hand on the doorknob. "See you tomorrow."

"You have a point, good night Tristan."

Tristan walked into the room and looked around. It was a small, sparsely furnished room. There was a small bed in one corner and a desk and chair on the wall across from it. Dim moonlight filtered in through a small window giving off enough light for him to make his way to the bed. First he took the weapon off his back and rested it against the wall. He then stripped off his clothes and put them on a small dresser beside the bed. For the first time he noticed how different the clothes he wore were from the ones everyone else wore. On the dresser sat a pair of blue jeans, a red t-shirt and a black zipper hoodie.

_Maybe I'm from a different country._ He thought as he lay down on the bed. _Oh well at least they're comfortable._ He stared up at the ceiling for a moment and noticed how completely silent it was in the room. It made him uncomfortable for some reason._ I can't believe I've suddenly been recruited to a military unit. Oh well, I guess it's better than being a homeless bum._ He let his eyes close and drifted into sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**I have nothing to say for myself. That was an unacceptable gap between updates. I want to blame it on Destiny and preseason hockey but I know it still shouldn't have taken this long. And so I am sorry readers. Anyways at least I'm back. And this is my longest chapter yet! On another note what pairings would you guys like to see in the story? I haven't really made any final decisions so please send me your suggestions. Anyway please review and enjoy!**

The next morning Tristan was jolted awake by a pounding at the door of his room.

"Hey Tristan rise and shine! Breakfast is in the common room. Chrom has something he wants to talk to everyone in 15 minutes."

_Was that Lissa? What time is it? _Tristan looked out the window and saw dim light streaming in. He groaned and dropped his head back onto the pillow. _I don't think I'm much of a morning person._ He lay like that for another minute before pushing himself up with a sigh. Once up he quickly put on his clothes and inspected himself in the mirror above the dresser. _Hmm, I'm in need of a shave. Ah well I'll deal with that later. _Tristan than left the room and headed down the stairs towards the common room. When he entered he saw all the people he met yesterday with a couple of unfamiliar faces. Behind a table at the front of the room Sumia stood serving food onto a plate held by Robin. When she saw Tristan she smiled and waved him over.

"Good morning Tristan. Hungry?"

"Uh yea actually, thanks." Tristan grabbed a plate and held it out. Sumia served him some of the bacon and eggs that were set out. Tristan expressed his gratitude and grabbed an apple from a bowl as he walked away. He then took a seat at a table next to Robin.

"Hey, did you sleep well?" Robin asked between bites of food.

"Yea I actually did. You?"

"Not too bad, but I keep having this weird dream. I think Chrom was in it but I can't remember it very clearly."

Tristan swallowed his food and paused. "Well if you can't remember it I guess it's not that important."

"Yea I guess so, but it's still bothering me."

At that moment Vaike plopped his tray across from the two men and sat down hard.

"Good morning rookies! I thought I would take this moment to welcome you two to the Shepherds and give you some tips!" he said loudly.

_He sure got right to the point, and he's still not wearing a shirt!_

"What do you mean tips?" inquired Robin

"Ah, so glad you asked. I've come to present you Teach's tips."

"Teach's tips?" the other two echoed questioningly.

"Yes! These are crucial pointers to help make living life among the shepherds easier."

"Umm… ok?" Robin replied. Tristan just slapped his hand to his forehead and sighed.

Vaike smiled and continued. "Tip number one. Build some muscle; you guys are almost as small as ruffles over there." He said gesturing to Virion.

"I heard that you ignorant buffoon."

Vaike chuckled. "Tip number two. Avoid Sully's horse at all costs. That things insane." He said with a shudder. "Tip number three. Come up with a cool catch phrase to shout when you're about to take down an enemy. Everyone else has one and that's what makes us the best."

_Will he ever stop talking?_ Tristan had finished his breakfast and was trying to think of a way escape the conversation. Robin sat beside him and listened to Vaike with feigned interest. He looked around at the rest of the room. He saw Maribelle and Virion sitting at one table sipping tea. Lissa was sitting with Sully who seemed to be reprimanding a man in green armour for something. _I guess Chrom probably stays at the palace. I wonder what Lissa's doing here._ He noticed that Vaike was still talking and decided to tune back in.

"Tip number eleven. Never, ever eat anything Sully cooks. "

Robin shot Vaike a quizzical look and started to say something, but was interrupted by a voice from the front of the room.

"Can I get everyone's attention please?" Chrom stood at the front of the room, he was in his usual attire, minus the shoulder guard he usually wore. Behind him with perfect posture stood Frederick, in his full knight's armour. Chrom waited for the chatter in the room to cease before continuing. "Thank you. Shepherds, In light of the recent increase in Plegian bandit activity and the new Risen threat the Exalt has given us orders to march to Regna Ferox."

"Hey Vaike, what's Regna Ferox?" Robin whispered to the tanned, shirtless man.

"I don't know man, some kind of barbarian country. Here I'll ask for you." Vaike stood up, raised one hand and pointed the other at Robin. "Hey Chrom! Rookie number one wants to know about Regna Ferox."

Robin face turned a bright red and he looked down. "Why'd you have to make a scene." He mumbled to no one in particular.

Tristan chuckled and looked over at Vaike, who was still standing with a large grin on his face. _Man, I wish I had his confidence._

"Oh sorry I forgot you two don't remember anything. Sumia, care to explain?"

Sumia jumped a little in her seat and immediately blushed. "Um, Regna Ferox is a unified kingdom to the north, said to be inhabited by barbarians."

Chrom grinned. "Thank you Sumia. But more importantly they're warriors. And we will need their strength to repel the Plegian's and this new menace"

Tristan heard Lissa giggle at the other table. "He's so oblivious" she whispered.

"We will be marching tomorrow morning to request aid. However this mission is voluntary so if you don't want to come you don't have to."

Before Chrom had finished his statement all the hands in the room had gone up. Vaike said something about sensitive missions being his specialty, which elicited a groan from Lissa. Only Tristan's arm remained down. He looked over and noticed Robin giving him questioning look.

"What!? I feel like with everyone else going I'm not really needed. And I don't think-" Before he could finish Robin had grabbed Tristan's arm and raised it like everyone else.

"That's what I like to see" Chrom smiled. "Now, everyone should take today to prepare for the trip. And remember, it's almost always winter in Regna Ferox so bring something warm."

With those final words the Shepherds dispersed. Leaving only Tristan and Robin still seated. Chrom walked over to them.

"You two are going to have to go into town and buy all new supplies. You also might want to check with a blacksmith to see about getting some armour."

Tristan nodded before remembering an important fact. "Uh, yea that'd be great. But we don't have any money."

"Yea, also where would one go to purchase these supplies?" Robin chimed.

"Oh don't you worry I've arranged a guide for you. And as for the money problem…" Chrom dropped two sacks of coins on the table in front of the men. "Just consider this a hiring bonus. Now get going. Your guide is waiting out front."

Tristan stared at the sack for a moment before reaching out and stuffing it into the front pocket of his hoodie. _I wonder if this is a lot of money. And who our guide is going to be. Why didn't he just tell us?_

"Well Tristan, let's get going!" And with that the two men got up and headed for the door.

_Well, this is less than fun._ Tristan and Robin had been dragged from store to store by their guide, who turned out to be Lissa. She first had led them to a store that sold camping equipment where they picked up tents, cots and various other supplies that would be needed on the road. They then went to a clothing store where Robin bought multiple changes of clothes. However he had Lissa help ensure all of the outfits he picked out would go with the large coat he woke up with. Tristan only bought one change of clothes to wear when his current outfit needed to be washed and some undergarments. It turned out that the money Chrom gave them was quite a large amount. They had hardly put a dent in it after half a days' worth of shopping. Robin seemed to be enjoying himself and was chatting away with Lissa. Tristan trailed behind them with his hands in pocket feeling uncomfortable amidst the crowded market. Robin and Lissa were talking in hushed voices and giggling, glancing back at Tristan every once in a while.

"Hey guys? Where are we going next? I feel like we've done enough shopping to last a lifetime." Tristan asked impatiently.

Lissa grinned and slowed down so that she fell into step beside Tristan. "We're going to the blacksmiths! We need to get you two fitted with armour."

"Yea, I've been doing some thinking on that subject; I don't think I want armour."

Robin scoffed. "Tristan, you do know armour protects you from bad things like death and mutilation right?"

Tristan rolled his eyes "yea I know, I just feel like it would mess up my fighting style." _And wearing a bunch of heavy armour would be uncomfortable and hot._

"Ah I see. Well I know I've only had one opportunity to see you fight. But I feel that there is some armour options that would help protect you without getting in your way. For example, due to the fact your weapon has blades of even lengths on each side you tend to fight up closer than fighters using traditional pole weapons. So you might want some light chain armour to protect you from the occasional blow. Also you tend to block a lot of strikes with the center section of your weapon. This puts your hands at risk of getting cut."

Tristan pondered this information as they continued walking. "Well I guess you're the tactician. I'll see what they've got available."

Lissa finally spoke up again "That's great cus we're here!"

They entered a simple wooden building, the walls and floors were lined with various weapons and armour. Behind a counter at the back of the room sat a burly man with thick black facial hair. He wore a brown blacksmithing apron that had been blackened in many spots. When the group entered he looked up and smiled.

"Princess Lissa well in't this a surprise and I see ya brought me customers!" he spoke with a booming voice and harsh accent.

"Hi Marcus! I'd like to introduce you to our two newest Shepherds. This is Robin and Tristan."

The two men walked over and shook hands with the blacksmith. "Good ta meet ya lads, what are ya looking for?"

Robin spoke up "my friend here needs a pair of good gauntlets, and maybe a light chain mail vest."

"Ah well the mail won't be a problem, as for gauntlets I've got a few for you ta choose from. One sec." Marcus turned around and disappeared into a back room.

"Wait, aren't you getting anything?" Tristan asked looking at Robin.

"I've decided I don't need any, I'm better with my magic than my sword. Also my coat serves me just fine."

_Yet he pressures me into getting some, hypocrite._

Marcus re-entered the room and placed a few pairs of gauntlets on the counter. Tristan scanned the selection and his eyes immediately fell on an imposing looking pair. They were black with a sharp red trim, the knuckles were lined with short but sharp looking spikes.

"Well, I like those ones." He said pointing at the pair.

Marcus shot him a skeptical look "are ya sure lad? That style is usually worn by a heavily armored unit. They might slow ya down."

"I feel like I could learn to compensate. I just get this feeling like that's the pair."

"Well why not try 'em on first." Marcus lifted up one of the gauntlets and held the open end towards Tristan. He slid it on and clenched and extended his fingers.

"It is a bit heavy, but I feel like I could get used to it." He picked up the other one. He looked over at Lissa who had a strange look on her face. _What's up with her? _He then slid the other onto his hand, however his fingers were stopped by something.

"What the…"

Robin shot Tristan a confused look. "What are you waiting for? Put it on."

"I'm trying, but there's something in my way. It feels kinda slimy…" Tristan brought the gauntlet up to his eye level and peered into the opening. "What the heck is thaa-AAUGH" suddenly something green shot out of the gauntlet, bouncing off of Tristan's head. Tristan stumbled backwards and tripped over a chest piece, falling to the floor with a crash. As Tristan laid sprawled on the ground he heard Lissa and Marcus explode into laughter. He looked over and saw Lissa fall to her knees clutching her stomach, tears streaming down her face.

"That… worked out… so much better than I expected!" she managed to get out between bursts of laughter.

Robin had joined in the laughter but walked over and extended a hand to his friend.

"Well, Chrom did kind of warn you." He said, hoisting Tristan to his feet.

"Did you have a hand in this?" Tristan glared at Robin.

"Not at all, but I wish I did. That was great."

"Anyway" Tristan turned to Marcus. "I'll take the gauntlets, and I guess the mail as well."

Marcus wiped away a few tears. "Excellent, that will be 850 gold. I will make some adjustments and have them sent to the Shepherds barracks before you leave tomorrow."

Tristan handed Marcus the money and thanked the man. He then turned and walked out the door, Robin dragging a still laughing Lissa out behind them.

"Well, we should get back. We have an early start tomorrow." Robin suggested. Tristan nodded in agreement and the group started walking back towards the barracks.

_Well, I guess that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. And maybe now Lissa's forgiven me. I just hope we don't run into any trouble on the trip. I'm still not sure how I handled that fight earlier and I don't want to find out it was a fluke. Ah well, I'll deal with that tomorrow._

Lissa had finally stopped laughing as they neared their destination. She gasped suddenly and stopped walking. "Guys we have to go back! I forgot my frog!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Don't worry guys, I haven't abandoned writing. I've just been distracted by the glory that is hockey season. But I'm sure you've all grown used to these terribly long gaps between posts so it probably doesn't even bother you right? Anyways, sorry again and I'll try to do better. In the meantime please enjoy!**

"What do you mean you can't find it?"

Chrom stood at the front of the shepherds, a sheepish looking Vaike beside him. Tristan stood near the back of the group beside Robin and watched with amusement as Vaike was scolded.

"Well I had it a second ago…." He trailed off, but then perked up. "I bet it was stolen! By a master thief. Only the best of thieves could've pulled a fast one on ol' Teach here."

Chrom rolled his eyes before turning to the rest of the Shepherds. "Alright everyone, we've got risen guarding the only bridge across the river. It's small group so it shouldn't be a problem but be careful nonetheless."

"Hey!" Lissa piped up "Where's Stahl? Didn't he say he was coming?"

"Oh yea. Hey Vaike, did you remember to let him know we were leaving early?"

Vaike paled "Uhm, of course. The Vaike always remembers his duties. That being said he is known to forget things briefly…"

Chrom closed his eyes and took a deep breath "I'm sure he will catch up. Now, as for this battle I think we should all just do as we normally do. This will give our new tactician a chance to study our strengths and weaknesses. So Robin you hang back on this one and the rest of us will take care of this group."

"Works for me" Robin said with a grin.

Tristan raised his hand. "Maybe I should stay back here and guard our precious tactician." He said sheepishly.

"Nonsense! Robin can take care of himself. And I want to see what you're capable of." Chrom winked and turned towards the bridge. "Now Shepherds, Forward!"

Chrom raised his sword in the air and started sprinting towards the army of risen. The rest of the Shepherds let out a hearty battle cry and followed his lead. Tristan hesitated for a moment before silently following. As they neared the risen turned and with a moan slowly began lumbering towards the oncoming Shepherds. As the two forces came together Tristan reluctantly found himself squaring off against a sword wielding risen.

_How'd I get myself into this situation? For whatever reason I don't feel like I was ever a soldier. _The risen lunged forward with an aggressive overarm chop that Tristan blocked with the center of his weapon, between his gauntleted hands. _Well, Robin was right about my defensive style. Why does this feel so natural? _Tristan sidestepped a stab attempt and knocked the sword away by rotating his polearm. With the risen's sword out wide Tristan completed the spin started with his dodge and, using the center of his body as leverage, cut straight through the risen's midsection. It looked down with a shocked look on his face before disintegrating into purple dust. _Well, that wasn't so bad._ Tristan looked around to see how his fellow Shepherds were doing and was surprised to see nearly the entire risen force was gone. Virion let loose a shot from his bow and took out a risen wielding a sword. Vaike, who must've found his axe at some point, pounced on the last enemy. He quickly smashed it to dust and then slung his axe over his shoulder with a satisfied grin.

"They weren't so tough. The Vaike could've taken that whole group himself."

Chrom walked over and put his hand on Vaike's shoulder. "Oh yea? Too bad he had to wait on the sideline until Miriel showed up with his axe."

The rest of the shepherds laughed and Vaike seemed to deflate a little. "Oh yea… thanks again Miriel."

"Just don't let it happen again. Or I shall have to fix it to your hand permanently."

Tristan then just noticed the spectacled woman being referred to as Miriel. She wore long black robes and a tall pointed cap. In one of her hands she held a thick red book. _I think that's like one of the things Robin had to help him cast magic. I believe he called it a tome._ He then noticed a brown haired man with green trimmed armour walk over. _That must be Stahl._

Chrom stepped forward. "Well, it looks like we're all here. We should keep moving and cover some more ground before we make camp."

"Wait!"

The Shepherds all turned to see Sumia approaching a winged horse. The beast was clearly agitated and shied away from her approach.

"Sumia get away from that Pegasus! It could be dangerous." Chrom sprinted towards Sumia. His shout causing the animal to rear up in panic.

"No stay back. I can handle this" Sumia approached the Pegasus. "Calm down girl, its ok." The Pegasus took nervous step back before calming and allowing Sumia to approach.

"Wow, how'd she so that?" Lissa whispered. The others just shook their head.

"You guys go on ahead; I'll take care of this poor girl and catch up with you."

Chrom nodded "Alright Shepherds, let's march. I want to cover a bit more ground before we make camp."

At Chrom's command the group began gathering their things and preparing to move. Tristan slung his pack over his shoulders and fell in line with the others. Robin caught up and fell in pace beside him.

"So, how was your first official battle as a Shepherd?"

Tristan shrugged "it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I don't know what I did before this but I don't think it was fighting. That being said it does kind of come naturally to me."

Robin pondered his words for a moment. "Yea I noticed you did seem kind of hesitant at first. But your movements were very fluid and concise. I feel like with some practise you could become quite a force."

Tristan raised his eyebrow at his companion. "Well thank you for that input, oh master tactician." He said in a sarcastic tone.

Robin pouted a little. "I was just trying to help."

"I know man, I'm just bugging you." Tristan chuckled.

The Shepherds marched until sundown before Chrom called for them to make camp. They quickly set up their tents and met in a central tent for dinner. Tristan sat down with Robin once again and the two were soon joined once again by Vaike.

"Did you guys see how awesome I was out there? I totally got the last kill of the battle." Vaike said with a mouth full of food.

"Yea, you were quite the force out there today." Robin replied with feigned enthusiasm. "On another note, do you always fight without armour? Or even a shirt? I feel like that's an easy way to get killed."

"Pfft, Teach don't need no armour. Besides, how else would I get these cool scars?" He said pointing to a particularly nasty looking scar across his chest.

_He is quite the character_ Tristan thought as he finished his meal. _Man, I'm exhausted from all that marching and fighting we did today. How are all the others still so energetic? They must have crazy good endurance. Well, I should get to bed. It sounds like it will be another long day tomorrow._ Tristan got up, bid Vaike and Robin a goodnight, thanked Stahl for cooking dinner and walked towards his tent. As he walked he noticed that the air was noticeably chillier. _I guess we have come a long way north. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw snow soon. _Tristan smiled at the thought of snow. _I think I like snow. Maybe this trip won't be so bad after all._


End file.
